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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22557643">Snowdrops and Memories</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoStrangely/pseuds/SoStrangely'>SoStrangely</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Critical Role (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Campaign 1 (Critical Role), Consolation, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Pregnancy, Spoilers, Ten Years Later</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 17:53:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,468</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22557643</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoStrangely/pseuds/SoStrangely</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ten years after the most dangerous battle Vox Machina ever faced, Lady Vex'ahlia enjoys the life she created for herself in Whitestone.<br/>Still, at least once a year, Vox Machina comes together again to celebrate and remember. Vex and Keyleth have a special tradition.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keyleth &amp; Vex'ahlia (Critical Role), Keyleth/Vax'ildan (Critical Role), Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III/Vex'ahlia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>67</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Snowdrops and Memories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is also my very first try at writing fan fiction and publish it here. I did my best at tagging and everything, feel free to leave suggestions, if you think I missed something important.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a day like an other to most of the people in Whitestone.<br/>They woke up, got dressed and went about their business as usual.</p>
<p>Lady Vex’ahlia de Rolo woke up as her four children stormed into the chamber and jumped into the bed. <br/>“Children, please, be careful...”, she groaned, protecting her belly, where her fifth child was still growing and probably wouldn’t be ready for another two months.<br/>“Good Morning Mummy! Morning Daddy!”, the little voices squeaked as their children crawled under the blankets around and between her and her husband. Percy yawned and sleepily made room for his offsprings. Vex smiled. She remembered vividly the discussions they had about their eldest daughter Vesper sleeping in the bed with them. First Percy wanted to have her in her own room as soon as possible as it was custom for noble children. When Vex finally regarded her as old enough to sleep on her own, Percy was the one who wished she could stay just a little longer. His little girl, soon turning ten years old. But not today. Today was special for another reason. There would be time to think about this later, right now, Vex just enjoyed being surrounded by her children. </p>
<p>Percy smiled at her, sleep still in his eyes, his hair sticking out in all directions. Tiny wrinkles had began to show in his face in the past years. Vex loved to see him cuddling their children. She remembered huddling against her mother when she was a child and after she was gone... no, it was not yet time to think about that. Still, she was glad, she could convince her husband that their children needed and deserved as much physical closeness as possible. He didn’t have that during his childhood in Whitestone, but convincing him was easy when little Vesper looked at him with familiar eyes, making tiny babbling noises. He loved all his children dearly, but he always had a special soft spot for his eldest daughter.</p>
<p>Vesper nestled against her, giving her belly a careful look.<br/>“When will the guests arrive today, Mummy? Do I have to wear a dress? Can I stay up all night with you? Please, I don’t want to go to bed with the babies!”, whispered Vesper, but her four year old brother Julius interjected in protest: “I am not a baby!” His twin sister Johanna joined in. Her eldest son Freddie, named after his father and recently turned seven years old, yelled back: “Yes you are! Itty-bitty baby!”<br/>“Children, please... calm down. You’ll go to bed, when I say so, understood?”, said Vex, giving her eldest daughter a little wink.</p>
<p>Soon they all got up and started the day. There was a lot to be prepared for the evening.<br/>Several guests from all over Tal’Dorei would arrive and even more important, Vox Machina would reunite again, as they always did for this day. Because, today, ten years ago, they had defeated Vecna and saved the world. They would always meet up in Whitestone to celebrate and remember.<br/>Vex spend the day overseeing the preparations and making sure the children didn’t get in the way. Her old friend Trinket was very useful in this endeavour, patiently sitting there while the children decorated him with flowers and little bows. Vex couldn’t help but smile.</p>
<p>Noon came and went. Vex found Percy immerged into on of his projects.<br/>“Darling, time to stop tinkering. It’s your turn to watch the children.”<br/>“Already?”, he said, getting up and giving her a little kiss. “Will you be alright?”<br/>“Sure, you know me, love, I’ll always be alright”, she said. She kissed him back, passionately and turned away, gathering her things.<br/>“See you for dinner!”, Percy cried after her.</p>
<p>Vex left the castle and made her way through the streets of Whitestone, greeting people left and right. But she didn’t stop to talk as she usually did, she had a place to be. She arrived at the Sun Tree right on time. The bark of the old tree was creaking as magic flowed through, forming a doorway and a familiar figure stepped out.<br/>“Hello Keyleth!”, said Vex as she greeted her friend with a smile and a hug.<br/>“Good to see you, Vex”, the Voice of the Tempest answered. She looked at the very visible belly of her friend. “So, another little one will join us soon? Congratulations!”<br/>“Thank you!”<br/>They looked at each other for a few seconds, the smiles fading, then Vex asked quietly: “Sooo... shall we?”<br/>Keyleth nodded and took her hand and they made their way out of Whitestone into the forest.</p>
<p>The afternoon sun was shining through the leaves, still small and tiny, as the trees had just started to wake up from their slumber. The air was cold and fresh and the woods were silent but for a few little birds singing their songs about life. The two women made hardly any sound as they made their way through the shrubbery. They had spent enough time around trees to move silently, even without trying. They didn’t talk. They never talked on the way there. Soon they reached a small clearing with a well-made wooden bench.<br/>Their friend Pike had made it years ago.</p>
<p>They sat down, leaning against each other, waiting for the other one to speak first.<br/>As usual it was Vex, who couldn’t stand the silence any longer.<br/>“I miss him so much”, she said and for the first time today allowed herself to think about her brother.<br/>“Me too”, whispered Keyleth beside her.<br/>They held each other’s hand, gazed up to the tree tops and waited for the tears to come.<br/>They never had to wait long. And with the tears there were the memories.</p>
<p>Vex remembered being alone in the woods as a young girl, just a few years older than her eldest daughter now, just accompanied by Trinket and her brother, Vax’ildan. They used to huddle together at night, remembering their mother and their childhood home before they had to leave for Syngorn.</p>
<p>She thought about Vax’s mischievous grin she recognized in the faces of her own twin children. His laughter when something amused him or one of his pranks was a hilarious success.</p>
<p>She remembered his dextrous hands stroking her hair and quickly braid it for her in the mornings.</p>
<p>She remembered everything they did together, said to each other. She remembered all the ups and downs of their life with their family of Vox Machina.</p>
<p>Then the tears came and she could feel Keyleth rocking beside her, sobbing and lost to her own memories. She squeezed her friend’s hand and felt her squeezing back.</p>
<p>She remembered the wild storm of black feathers and the tiny snowdrops along the way.</p>
<p>She remembered his dark form suddenly, magically appearing on her wedding day, a wonderful gift, a small glimpse, a few words. “Thank you. Live.”</p>
<p>And she is living, oh yes, she is living so much. She rarely lets herself remember him, though, in detail, dwelling on everything. If she did, she wouldn’t be able to do, what she promised him to do. Live and be happy. She told her children stories about their uncle, of course, but only short ones, happy ones, and never about the end. They’re too young, the’ll always be too young. She tells them some tales and keeps others hidden, even from herself.<br/>But today, always today, she does remember everything about Vax. Her brother, her closest friend, her other half. Oh, she misses him every day so much but she only ever lets herself cry here in the woods, once a year, accompanied by Keyleth, who loved him just as much.</p>
<p>Keyleth was sniffling beside her, the sobbing had stopped a while ago.<br/>Vex took two handkerchiefs out and offered one to her friend. The other one she used to dry of her face. They sat there for another while, just breathing slowly.<br/>Again, Vex was the first to break the silence.<br/>“Are you alright, Kiki?”<br/>She had used the nickname in the past, but nowadays she only ever called her by it, when they were here in the clearing once a year, sitting, crying and remembering Vax.<br/>“I am, Stubby”, Keyleth answered, her voice throaty from crying.<br/>Another nickname only used once a year now. <br/>They looked at each other, finally smiling again. They stood up and hugged for a long while before returning to Whitestone to meet up with the rest of Vox Machina, their family and friends, to dine and drink and live.</p>
<p>As the two women made their way back, the big black raven, who had sat in the tree above them, well hidden from sight, spread his wings and flew away over the horizon, leaving just one black feather behind.</p>
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